Ed Penniman is an American painter and graphic designer best known for his oil and watercolor paintings of the California's Central Coast. The

American Institute of Graphic Arts The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity. T ...

selected his book design as one of the 50 best designed book covers of the year, and he has won numerous awards for his paintings and designs. He was commissioned by Santa Cruz County to design the official county flag in 1983. His designs and art work have been featured in magazines in the US, Europe, and Japan. Penniman authored ''You Are Up to You'', a book documenting his near-death experience and recovery from Guillain–Barré syndrome, which left him a quadriplegic for three years.

Early life and career

Edward George Penniman was born (May 12, 1942) in Santa Cruz, California to parents Warren and Irene (née Costella) Penniman, Sr. His father, Warren Penniman, was the owner of Penniman Title in Santa Cruz. He is of Italian and English descent. Penniman's grandmother, Leonora (née Naylor) Penniman (also a well-known artist), began teaching him watercolors when he was seven years old. His grandfather, TF Costella, was contracted to do the cement work for the Giant Dipper in Santa Cruz in 1924. Penniman graduated from Chouinard Art Institute with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In 1965, he was an art director at Ogilvy Advertising Agency (formerly Carson-Roberts) art directing print and TV advertising for companies including Baskin-Robbins, Singer, and

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Career

Penniman rose to prominence as an artist in the early 1970s winning awards for his unique graphic design and artwork. He founded Ed Penniman and Associates, Advertising Design in Santa Cruz where he designed award-winning art and graphics for wineries, the Santa Cruz Symphony, the

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States. Description ...

, and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Penniman's work has been featured in '' Communication Arts'' magazine, ''Graphic Elements of the World, Volume 1'', and ''The Book of American Trademarks''. His book design for ''Planet Steward Journal of a Wildlife Sanctuary Book Cover'' was included in the ''50 Best Book Designs of the Year'' by the

. He was awarded a Gold Medal at the Orange County Fair for his design of Bargetto Winery's wine label. Penniman was commissioned by Santa Cruz County to design their official flag, which was adopted by the Board of Supervisors on July 4, 1983. In 1984, at age 42, Penniman was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a nerve disorder that paralyzed him and left him a quadriplegic for three years. During his rehabilitation, he was given an easel and paints. He could only move his head, so he learned to use his mouth to hold his paint brushes. He slowly regained the use of his arms and legs, and followed the artist trail of Winslow Homer throughout the island of Eleuthera, as well as following

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

's artist path to

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

Moorea Moorea ( or ; Tahitian: ), also spelled Moorea, is a volcanic island in French Polynesia. It is one of the Windward Islands, a group that is part of the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti. The name comes from the Tahitian word , meaning " ...

, and

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. Penniman's paintings have been featured in numerous exhibitions and publications. Penniman is the former President of the Santa Cruz Art League and the curator of the California Statewide Landscape Exhibition, one of the longest-running art exhibitions in California. The annual Landscape Exhibition at the Art League was originated by his grandmother, Leonora Penniman, in 1926.

Awards and recognitions

* 1969 - Certificate of Distinction - ''Packaging Design/Wine Label Design'' - San Francisco Art Directors Club * 1973 - Gold Medal - ''Wine Label Design'' - Bargetto Winery - Orange County Fair * 1973 - Gold Award Best of Show - (ITCA) International Typographic Composition Association * 1975 - Gold Medal - 50 Best Book Designs of the Year - ''Planet Steward Journal of a Wildlife Sanctuary'' -

* 1983 - Design of the Santa Cruz County Flag -

Flags of the World This gallery of sovereign state flags shows the national or state flags of sovereign states that appear on the list of sovereign states. For other flags, please see flags of active autonomist and secessionist movements, flags of extinct states a ...

* 1991 - Silver Award - ''Natural History Museum of Santa Cruz'' Artwork - Monterey Advertising Association * 2004 - 2 Silver Awards, 1 Bronze Award - ''Brand Identity, Corporate Identity, Business to Business Advertising'' - Beacon Awards presented by the Northern California Chapter of the Business Marketing Association * 2020 - Voted ''Best Artist'' in Santa Cruz County by ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

'' newspaper

Publications

* 1971 - Featured Design, ''Packaging Design'' magazine * 1972 - ''Ed Penniman Trademark Designs'', ''The Book of American Trademarks'' * 1973 - ''Communications Arts'' magazine - 6-page feature article * 1986 - 38 Examples of Design work by Ed Penniman, ''Graphic Elements of the World, Volume 1'' (Japan) * 1986 - ''The History Behind the Santa Cruz Dukes of Rock and Roll'' - ''Hip Santa Cruz, Volume 3'' * 2008 - ''You Are Up to You'' * 2018 - ''Catamaran Literary Reader''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penninman, Ed Painters from California American graphic designers Artists from California 20th-century American painters 21st-century American painters 1942 births Living people